Streetspace and Taxis (2)

Keith Prince: Has the Mayor conducted an economic impact assessment on the taxi trade with regard to the recently announced Streetspace road restriction plan?

The Mayor: The main objective of my Streetspace for London Plan is to get London moving and working again, safely and sustainably, as quickly as possible. To enable safe social distancing on public transport, and to avoid the environmental and economic damage that would be caused by rising traffic and congestion, it is clear that many more Londoners must now walk and cycle. My Streetspace Plan is focused on enabling and encouraging this by temporarily providing more space for walking and cycling, which may require some temporary restrictions on other movement. Schemes go through an approval process to ensure changes are balanced and rational in the context of the situation on London’s roads network.
Transport for London (TfL) and I recognise that the accessible service provided by the taxi trade is part of London’s recovery from coronavirus, and measures being developed by TfL and the boroughs are being assessed to ensure that access for essential taxi trips is protected. An equality impact assessment will form a key part of this assessment.
Please also see my response to Mayor’s Question 2020/1677.

Clusters of Covid-19 Deaths at Bus Companies

Keith Prince: Analysis of data culled from social media about the 29 Bus Drivers who’ve died from Covid-19 shows that over 50% of the deaths took place among 2 operators that, combined, own and operate less than 25% of London’s Buses under contract to TfL. Please describe what actions TfL is taking at these two operators to understand why they account for such a disproportionate number of Covid-19 Deaths?

The Mayor: Losing so many London bus workers is a devastating outcome of this pandemic and is why I wanted research conducted to understand the reasons why this happened. TfL commissioned University College London’s Institute of Health Equity to examine the factors behind infections and deaths from coronavirus among bus workers so that we have a robust basis from which to learn from this tragedy. The first stage of the research will be shared with stakeholders later this month, prior to being published, and the second stage is expected to be ready by the end of this year. According to the initial data available, operators Go Ahead and Metroline jointly account for 53 per cent of coronavirus related driver deaths and for around 42 per cent of the London bus network.
London was quick to respond to medical advice and adapt as guidance was updated, introducing a raft of safeguards like reinforcing the driver’s protective shield, enhancing cleaning with anti-viral agents, switching temporarily from front to middle-door boarding and furloughing the most at-risk drivers. The study will examine the measures that TfL and its operators took and further improvements that might assist us now.

TfL advertising revenue

Gareth Bacon MP: What impact has the COVID-19 pandemic had on advertising revenue for TfL to date and what is the projected impact for the next financial year?

The Mayor: Please see my response to Mayor’s Question 2020/1827.